If you react to intimidation by counterattacking, walking away
or caving, there's a better way: Stand your ground, and
negotiate.

Stay cool. Above all, relax. Ignore the theatrics. If
your opponent keeps interrupting, politely ask him or her to stop.
Create a tactful timeout, such as another appointment. Not reacting
may take supreme self-control, but your maturity will pay off.
Also, don't allow experts, celebrities or business leaders to
psych you out.

Refocus on the issues. Intimidation is not the issue.
Your deal is. No matter how long it takes, keep bringing the
discussion back to the real concerns: price, services, time periods
and so on.

Slow it down. Reset the pace. Pause before you answer.
Go over things one more time. Start taking notes. Say you'll
think about it and get back to them. Intimidators would prefer to
hustle you into agreement. Don't let them.

Ask questions. Favor open-ended ones, the kind that
can't be answered by a simple yes or no. Once your opponent
starts explaining and discussing, it's no longer
intimidation--it's negotiation.

A speaker and attorney in Los Angeles, Marc Diener is author
of Deal Power.